Lubrication of internal-combustion engines



L. SAIVES Filed April 1, 1924 .5f La-24W Maine/J".

LUBRICATIQN oF INTERNAL coMUsTloN ENGINES March 30 1926.

Patented Mar. 30, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

LON SAIVES, OF BILLANCOURT, FRANCE, ASSIGN-OR T0 LOUIS RENAULT, 0F BILLAN- COURT, FRAN'CE.

LUBRICATION OF INlERNALf-COMBUSTION -ENGIES.

Application 'led April 1, 1924. Serial No. 703,390.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, LiioN SAivEs, citizen of the French Republic, residing at Billancourt. Department of the Seine; in France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to the Lubrication of Internal-Combustion Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofitlie invention, such as Will enable others skilled in the lart to which it pertains to make and use the saine.

This invention relates to the lubrication of internal combustion engines, and nmore particularly to apparatus for purifying lthe oil used for that purpose. Most internal combustion engines either of the explosion or combustion type are provided with a system of lubrication by oil circulation under pressure, t'he oil being drawn'from the lower casing by a pump driven by the engine. This pump forces the oil into lubricating pipes which feed oil to the several rubbing surfaces, which it is desired to lubricate. After having passed over these surfaces, the oil drains back to the casing to be again drawn up by the pump and to restart the same cycle.

In this method of use the oil loses a part of its lubricating qualities. Firstly, it takes up very fine dust which arises from the wear of the rubbing surfaces, secondly, by contact with parts at a high temperature such as the cylinders and pistons it undergoes a partial decomposition producing carbonaceous particles the molecular structure of which resembles that of coke; thirdly, when combustion or explosion takes place there 'is always a small quantity of fuel, which is not completely burnt, and there remains inthe explosion chamber small carbonaceous particles, a part of which de- Scends between the cylinder and the piston rings and mixes with the oil; fourthly, the air for supporting combustion sucked in by the engine very often contains abradingY dust, apart of which descends similarly into the oil.

" For these several reasons it can readily mixedwith it, constituting a veryserious ,wearing agent:

Io restore its original properties to theoil it is thus necessary to remove all foreign 4 gerous, since they generally consist of dust rom Wear or gritty atmospheric dust.

The introduction of a metallic gauzel filter which is usually located Vin the forcing circuit of the pump is not able to keep back all the dust or carbonaceous particles in question, for the .dust and particlesare -so minute that they pass through the meshes of the filter.

Only suitably arranged centrifugal apparatus is able to keep back this matter, because such apparatus effects separation by f matters, which may have become mixed with the action of the differences of specific gravity between the foreign matters and the oil. The size of the impurities to be kept back thus no longer comes into question. On the other hand, the force of separation of t'hese foreign matters can be regulated at will by running the apparatus more or less rapidly.v l

But in order that the centrifugal apparatus may produce its full useful effect 4longer separates out at a temperature al few degrees lower.

This consideration thus involves the necessity of adapting the apparatus in such Way as to form part of the engine casing or at any rate of uniting it with this casing by very short pipes. The provision of an external centrifugal apparatus working in the open air with tank, circulating pump and pipes is unsuitable for this reason. 4

In order to fulfil its object and to completely purify the lubricating oil, the 4centrifugal apparatus should thus be located in such a Wav that the whole of the lubricating' oil is obliged .to pass through it before reaching the rubbing surlfaces, it should also be located as near as possible to said 'it is necessary that'the oil should be censurfaces so that the path of the purified oil of economy it ought also to be such that its working does not entail an expenditure of "body 6 communicates with a delivery pipe t f lower part of said bearing wlth the oil reseradditional oil.

of example an engine fitted with a centrifun gal apparatus which fulfills the conditions enumerated above transverse section.

The cylinders are shown at 1, the upper casing at 2, and the lower casing at 3. Thepurifying apparatus is shown in detail at the left side of the drawing. It consists of a body G'which may form part of the upper casing 2; this bodynis covered by a bell 7 ,A

held in place on the body 6 by a stirrup 8 and a clamping screw 9., or by any other means capable of rapid taking apart. Inside the body and the bell is a rotor 1() closed by a detachable bottom 11 and rotatable about the axis X Y, by means of the upper pivot 12 and the lower shaft 13. This shaft, which rotates in the bearings 14, 15, is provided at its upper end with driving dogs 16, engaging in corresponding slots in the bottom v11.

It is alsoprovided at about its middle withv a helical pinion 17, gearing with another pinion 18, keyed on the horizontal. shaft 19, which is driven by the two pinions 20, 21, the latter of which is keyed on the shaft 22 driven by the engine, and which may be the cam shaft. y

Inside the rotor 10 is an inverted container 23 provided with apertures 23 in its lower portion and with radialwings 232 on its periphery. Above this tank is a cylindrical filter of wire gauze 24. The upper part of the rotor is provided with small openings 25 which start quite close to the axis The vertical shaft 13 driving the rotor is bored with a passage 13', the lower partof which opens into the chamber 26, communieating with Ahe delivery of the oil-circulating pump 27- Finally the lower part of the 28 which supplies oil to the`bear i ngs 5 o the cr-ank shaft 4, as well as to all parts to be lubricated.

The operation takes place as follows: IVhen the engine is running the oil-circulating pump 27 delivers oil into the passage 13 in the shaft 13, which runs at a very high speed owing to the multiplying gears 20, 21 and 17, 18. In order to escape the oil is forced to pass through the rotor in the direction of the arrows, and to flow out through The engine is shown in under the action of centrlfugal force adhere to the inner surface of the rotor and remains there while the purified oil escapes by the` livery pipe 28 and to lubricate all'rubbing Now, the rotor, which is driven by the shaft 13, receives a very rapid rotary, motion,

and the o il which passes through it is forced to; participate in this same motion by the wlngs 232 of the container 23, and during its rise into the rotor all the heavier particles opening 25.

The. object of the cylindrical filter 24 is to .keep back the light impurities in the oil such as fibres from rags, which may be inside the engine after erection; this object is en- I tirely subsidiary.

The cleaning of the apparatus is done in the following way, 'the engine being stopped, the screw 9 is uslacked, which permits of the stirrup 8 being tipped over, freeing the bell 7. It is then possible to take out the rotor 10 by lifting it vertically. After the bottom 11 has been detached, the dirt collected inside the rotor 10 is removed and it only remains to fit the members together again in the reverse order.

It is to be clearly understood that the arrangement of the centrifugal purier is notv strictly limited to the preceding description; for example the oil might enter at the top instead of at the bottom. Generally speaking any arrangement of centrifugal purifier working under pressure in which partitions `force the oil to flow towards the periphery of the apparatus so as to acquire the greatest linear velocity and in which the oil can only escape near the centre, whilst the dirt remains in the apparatus is within the scopeof the invention.

Claim- An oil purifying apparatus'for internal combustion engines comprising a base constituting an extension of the engine crank case, a vertical .shaft bearing integral with the base, an oil supply pipe connecting the and gearing connecting said hollow shaft with arotating part of the engine.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

vLEON sAIvEs. 

